, 1887-03-31
Ihe as'rel;ln ayqus.
THURSDAY. MARCH y. 1s,7.
EasLiIgIon indians


The following Is tie rr-al, of an
interview OF the Tacoma L.Jgsr Ie-
porter with Col. VI. \. Thomas, Of
Baltimore, I. :. Ind.an Inspector:
Col. Thomas ma. inspected the ~
rIoUs agencies, and Iuulc 81 genera!
examination OF tie books and accounts
of the various sVrerlut"u3auls ana
agents. He Is an uu,ir!1- officer. ,.ut
IN his work here strovc u 20 honor To-
the department which la represented.
he carefully went over the ground
and made Il thorough Investigation ot
all the agencies. Iur.udel in the PUv-
allup agency there are five separate
and distinct reservations: Buya!lUp.
Nisqually, Caehalis. Squaxla. ana
SkCkOmIsn. Embraced - the agency
there are from l.25j to I,5Jj Indians.
Those of the the three tir-t-Haurd
reservations are engaged more uaEtic-
ularly in farming, while those ot the
other reservations are more properly
clam diggers and fish eaters, and live
mostly upon the shores of the upper
Sound, subsistinG chiefly il hGating
and fishing.
THE PUYALLJP A6FNCI-
The Puyallup agency headquarters
are two miles IN 4 direct line hy rail
road from Tacoma; in Tact. ILn main
line of the Northern Pacific road runs
through the reservation. The agent
is Edwin Eells. Upon the reservation
are about 600 Indians. many OF whom
have been allotted tracts OF farming
land as fine as can be found in Wash
ingtOn Territory Many half breeds
live there, and some Of them have
good homes, and considerable stock.
They raise considerable produce, hay
and potatoes, principally which they
sell to the merchants of Tacoma, and
get good profits from their labor
The government buildings are large
and comfortable, and yet, for the ac-
commodatiOn of scholars at the school,
the building is entirely too small. An
effort is now on foot to obtain an ap-
preparation Of $4,000 for the erection
of an additional boarding school to
accommodate 200 or more scholars.
The proposition is to merge into one
large school there. the other two
schools at the Chehalis and Skoko-
mish reservations, the intention being
to create an industrial and training
Oregon, where the Indians may not
only be taught to read and write, bat
may be given a trade and be fitted in
other ways for business. The school
at the Puyallup reservation numbers
nearly 100 boarders, and there are a
number of the Nisqually Indians who
cannot be accommodated from lack
OF room. 1t is in fine condition. The
scholars are quite bright, and some of
them particularly apt, and will cope
well with scholars of the white race
The Puyallup Indians are considered
to be more intelligent set than the
other tribes, from the fact that their
homes are near Tacoma, Puyallup,
Sumner, and other points, and they
are thrown among the whites more
than any of the others in western
Washington. They are better able
to speak correctly the English Ian
guage from constant intercourse and
business relations with the whites,
than those OF the more isolated por-
tions of the Territory.
OTHER AGENCIES.
The Tulalip agency comprises the
Tulalip, Lummi, Swinomish, Port
Madison, and Muekleshoot rsserva-
tions,with headquarters of the agency
at TUlalip, at the head of Possession
Sound. about sixty-fivc miles from
Tacoma. The superintendent and
agent here is Wilson H. Talbot, who
has control over the five reservations
and about 1,200 Indians who reside
thereon. Only at one place within
the agency, and this is at Tulalip, Is
there school, and this Is a Roman
Catholic institution under the man
agement OF secular priests and sisters
of Providence. 1t numbers 1l5 schol
ais. 1t is what Is known Us a contract
school, and the only one OF the kind
In western Washington. The United
States Government has made con
tracts with the managers OF the
school, and pays them at the rate OF
SlOS per year for each child, not to
exceed 100 scholars; hence the mana
gers are educating fifteen Indian
children for which they receive no
pay from the government. The terms
or the contract of these priests and
Sisters of Providence are, that f0I
this amount they will feed, clothe,
board, and educate each child. They
have fine school, well managed, and
the children make great progress to-
wards civilization. There is little
difference between these Indians and
those of the Puyallup agency, except
that many of the elder persons are
less Intelligent upon the Tulalip
agency. They have considerable ag.
ricultural land, fine gardens, and
raise great amount of farm produce
for home consumption; are thrifty,
and mostly in a healthy, growing
condition.
CLALLAM INDIANS.
On the straits of Juan de Fnca,
near New Dungeness, there is a SHALL
Indian settlement at jamestown.
This is the homo of Clailam Indians,
about 200 in number. There is no
reservation there, and the govern
ment makes little provisions for them
except in the furnishing of teacher
for their school of some twenty schol-
ars. These Indians really belong to
the Skokomish reservation, and are
now under the control of Slperiu
tendent Eells of The Puyaiiup agency.
They have wandered away, however.
from this reservation, a distance OF
nearly 100 miles, to their present
location. Sometime in tae year 1873
they went to jamestown, aud there
purchased about 300 acres OF land,
much of which Is good agricultural
land, upon which many of them make
their living. The remainder of them
have no lands, but work for the
white farmers, and fish in the straits.
After they had been there a wear or
two the managed to procure whisky
from the whites, and becam DANGER
Gus. Complaint was made. ana Su>
perintendent Eells was ordered 10 re-
move them from the straits to the
SkokOmish reservation. He went and
held a consultation with them and ey
planned TO them why they had bean
ordered tn remove 10 thr reserve !a-,f
they had abandoned l. wa, &! ,iiurd
that they drank no ru.,r. sL.,, -